Where Could Men Find Me?

I had a message waiting for me on my desk yesterday. It said to call Rita at the B & B I stayed at in Florence a week ago. Hmmm, I thought. Did the credit card not go through? Did I leave something behind? Because I was out of the office all day, and had to dash to my class at St Vs, I decided I would call her this morning.

I got Rita on the phone, and she laughed and said, "you might want to sit down." I said, ok, is something wrong? She said, "oh no, it's charming more than anything."

She went on, "Do you remember writing in the journal last week that was placed on the desk in the room?" I said, "of course," (Journals are kept so guests can write down their thoughts about their stay. I basically wrote in the journal what I said in the previous post....how I went to the B & B after not going last summer, etc. etc.)
She said, "well, a gentleman stayed in the same room you did earlier this week, and he came downstairs for breakfast and asked if I had read what you wrote. I told him I hadn't, so he ran back up to the room and grabbed the journal for me to read. He thought what you said was very well written, and that you seemed like someone he wanted to meet."

WHAT!?!?!?

Rita and I were both laughing at this point, and of course, I wanted details. She explained he was an attorney who lived in Wittenberg and was at the B & B for business, same as I. She said he's the nicest man, golfs, attractive, etc. Nice, I thought.

I asked, "how old is he."
She said, "57."
WHOA!! I told her, "I'm only 31, so I don't think that would work, Rita." She laughed and said, "yeah, I figured you were too young for him, and 26 years is too much of a difference, Jamie."
I said, "I definitely agree, Rita!" (the mother was coming out in her). :)

She said, "of course I was not going to give him your number, but I did tell him I would call you. In fact, he called here last night saying he forgot some papers, but I really think he was checking to see if I had talked to you yet."

We talked a little more, and I explained if we were closer in age, I would possibly be interested in meeting him. She definitely understood. She said, "he just really liked what you wrote, and he's not weird or a perv or anything (that's good!), and thought you would be an interesting person to meet. I asked her to please call him back and that while I'm flattered he wants to meet me, the age gap is too great. She said she would.

I also told Rita to keep me in mind and to look out for other single (younger) men who might come by the B & B. Before we hung up, she said, "I did like what you wrote, and I'm glad you have the attitude that you don't need a man in your life to be happy. That's great you are still doing what you want."

I said although it's hard at times, I do what I can.

So who knows where men might find me? Maybe it's true that it could be in the oddest of circumstances. I must admit that it is one of the strangest things I've ever heard, but secretly, it did make my day. :)

I went to Florence

I accomplished one goal this summer, and that was to go to Florence, WI. I decided to do some library trips, as I've never been to those "up north" libraries in our system. It was the perfect reason to go - get away and get some work done at the same time.

This little trip really meant something special to me. Last summer, I wanted to take a trip with my ex-bf to Florence, and I proposed staying at the Lakeside B & B. I didn't care when we went, it was on Fisher Lake (which meant he could canoe, fish, hike, etc.) and I offered to pitch in for the cost. For whatever reason, we never went.

Well, darn it. I still wanted to go to Florence and to the B & B, so I did. IT WAS FANTASTIC! The room was beautiful, the host was kind, the breakfast was great, the view of the lake was spectacular and the town was charming. The last time I was in Florence was about 10 years ago, and I only drove through it. A lot has changed in 10 years. After dinner on Thursday night, I even went canoeing around the lake by myself. The sun was just starting to set, and it was so peaceful. At night I could hear the loons on the lake. On Friday morning I took a walk. It was wonderful.

I was so glad and honestly, proud, of myself for doing this...without a man!! I definitely plan on going back someday, and maybe next time I will have someone to go with who is really special.

I'm Going to Tampa in February

I did it, and I'm either half insane or half crazy, maybe both.
I booked a flight to Tampa for February of 2009. I don't know where I'm staying, I don't know who else is going, I don't know what it will cost, but I'll land in Tampa on Feb. 18 and I'll leave on Feb. 22. Four nights, five days.

I will most likely be going by myself, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

I don't think I'm totally crazy. I did use my Midwest miles to book the flight. I wanted to do this before they start charging for award travel, which is what many airlines are doing.

And I figured if I had a free flight coming, I'm going to go where I want (somewhere warm) and when I want (when it's not warm here). Up until now, I considered saving up to go to Costa Rica, taking a cruise from LA or going to Vegas. I don't know that Tampa would be my first choice on a free flight, but I do know two things. It will be warmer than here next February, and I'll be itching to get away. There are tons of cute towns along the Gulf Coast, so that is probably where I'll end up if I end up renting a car.

So now when I'm having a crummy day, I'll just think about Tampa in February...

I'm not a librarian

I will say this until I'm blue in the face.
I'm not a librarian. I don't claim to be a librarian. I've never claimed to be a librarian. I don't play one on TV. Even if I were on TV, I wouldn't play a librarian. I don't have my MLS. I have no intention of getting one. I already have a Master's degree, and don't have the desire to get another one.

I'm not a librarian. But that doesn't mean I'm not qualified for the job I have or that I don't deserve to work with librarians.

Don't get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for librarians, all kinds of them, whether they work at the largest library in the world, or in a town of 100 people. I think they are fabulous whether they have their MLS or not. They are intelligent, creative, smart, energetic, caring people who don't get paid nearly enough for what they do or the crazy patrons they sometimes encounter.

I enjoy working with them, providing services for them and making their jobs easier. That is MY job. I'm a library consultant. I'm not a librarian.

I don't encounter patrons. I don't shelve books. I don't do story times. I wouldn't mind doing those things, but that is not my job. I work behind the scenes, which is not the same thing as working in a library.

I revisited my "responsibilities" and "education requirements" that were listed when my position was posted, just to clarify. In the 2+ years I've been here, I have not only met the requirements, but I've exceeded them. I've done everything my employer has asked, and then some. I have brought enthusiasm, creativeness and ideas that are outside of the box.

My responsibilities have grown. I'm doing more than when I started, and that's a testament to my employer's faith in me and in my skills. I have the right skills for this job. I can honestly say I love what I do, and it doesn't feel like a job. I'm not perfect, and I'm always looking to improve, but I'm also proud of what I've accomplished.

I don't know everything about libraries, and I probably never will. I learn new things every day, and I'm grateful for that. I still don't know all the crazy acronyms or the ins and outs of the Dewey Decimal System (or if that should even be capitalized?).

And that's ok, because I'm not a librarian.

Home

I'm finally home!
I had a great time in Anaheim at the conference, and an even better time visiting with relatives in Long Beach. After a somewhat strenuous flight home, I spent some time with my sister's family who was in town from Omaha. Then I went up to Crooked Lake, and of course, had a great time. Last night my parents had the whole fam over for grilling out and fireworks, and I was finally able to bring Kelly home. The two of us are both pretty tuckered out!